Nokia signs new deal to put Windows Phones into enterprise

Good news today for the prospects of seeing more Windows Phone make their way into the important business market. Nokia and Avande have signed a deal to get Microsoft services, Lumia products and expertise into the enterprise.

Avanade is a global business technology solutions and managed services provider. Currently the company is helping a large UK bank replace its current fleet of phones with Windows Phone 8 devices. Read on to find out more.

Nokia has recently stepped up their efforts in promoting Windows Phone 8 devices to business. They have produced some interesting posts and are also engaging in social networking via twitter to get the message across. The aim in clear, their next vector of attack is for the all-important business customer, this deal looks set to help bring a whole package of products and services to help make that happen.

Ian Jordan, executive VC of Sales, Marketing Avanade had the following to comment on the partnership:

"There is a significant gap in the market for a new class of business-focused mobile services and solutions. Avanade and Nokia are working together to fill this gap; integrating Nokia Lumia smartphones built on Windows Phone 8, with business applications such as Microsoft Office, CRM and access to company information to improve collaboration, productivity and sales." -

Unlike some of Microsoft’s partners it's clear Nokia can see the potential to take the Windows Phone platform to business. After all the OS comes with first class exchange integration, bitlocker, office mobile and more. In this case it looks as though they will be concentrating on delivering a holistic solution using Microsoft technologies.

Niko Mykkänen, global head of B2B Sales at Nokia had this to say about the deal and the potential it offers:

"The growth in the use of consumer devices at work has created opportunities for businesses, but also vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. Working together, Nokia and Avanade will create business solutions to meet the needs of the enterprise, as well as delivering the exciting user experience which people expect from today's leading smartphones such as Nokia Lumia."

There is no doubt that Windows Phone as a operating system has reached a vital turning point in both perception and acceptance as a viable player. It is now up to Nokia and Microsoft to ensure it reaches into all the places it has so far not touched.

Let us know what you think of this news in the comments below and tell us if you’re already using Windows Phone in your business.

Then get new friends! Just kidding, but why not? I've had a Windows Phone for nearly 18 months, beginning with a Lumia 800, and whereas people would look at that when I first got it and have no idea what it was, when people see my HTC 8X they instantly know it's a Windows Phone and that's "the one with the tiles". The progress may be slow, but it's definitely happening.

Same here. Many of my coworkers love my l920. To bad though they're all part of the Apple collective. They fear change. I can show them all the better things WP can do easily but it doesn't seem to register in their collective minds.

Same here, I've actually helped those who were on Android convert to Windows Phones, but its difficult to get my friends who are iPhone users to convert over. Even when they seemed to be in awe, they are scared to move. So they tell me that they will wait on "The Next Big Thing" from Apple. Oh well!

I don't know where else Apple can go with the iPhone. Size maybe? The UI hasn't changed since birth. All the newcomers are doing as everyone else. Grid style layout. Most are like skins you can put over Android. Only WP is something different. Its not an overlay. WP is an actual new UI! So many possibilities: 3D tiles, video tiles, etc..

Yeah, its a tough sell. Most people just want to have the phone everyone else has. They want to be able to get group imessages, and use all the same apps. MS has a superior product, but its hard to break through such established ecosystems.

My work place is not the case. Its all about having what everyone else has. Their minds are set in the collective. Change and free will does not compute. They live the life of the daily collective routine and never question it.

WP needs a way better calendar before this is accepted. Business is all about appointments. Try to put an appointment in your WP8 phone with a 3 hour reminder. Oops can't do it. I like my Lumia 810 but my old BB Bold 9900 smokes it in functionality.

100% agreed. The calendar on WP is a complete joke.
Set repeating appointments? Nope
See the Week number? Nope
Week view? Nope
Setting an appointment at say 10:30? Scrolling 30x1 min. instead of 6x5min.
Month view with at least a bit more information than the silly entries? Nope

Are you Stupid or what, didn't you read the above comment that you can change the length of an appointment via the Custom Option on WP8, you must be an Iphone user or something, pls wake up and stop acting stupid, really hurts when people act dumb and don't read through the messages properly

You guys are talking about the duration of the appointment. There is a custom option for that. I'm talking about the "Reminder" section of the appointment. There is no custom option for that. Options jump from 1 hour to 18 hours with no in between options and no custom option.

now, i just checked on mine, you just need to click on How Long -> Custom then you can set the start and end time, would've been better if we could just choose the time though... and I agree Calendar needs the most attention right now, it's "ok" for me, but there are definitely alot of things lacking, i wish they could add pinch to zoom on monthly view so i can actually read the tiny text...

agree 100%!
Not to talk about the tasks view in calendar... a shame.
And where is exchange cathegories synch for calendar items and tasks? It used to be there in WM 6.5
Please Nokia save the ship before it's too late!

Indeed... have been waiting for the outlook.com calendar to be updated from Hotmail for aaaages... nope, still not happening. Personally I actually preferred the Hotmail interface - more dense, practical and IMHO powerful (e.g. you could actually add a photo to a contact O_O). But MS, if you're going to change the UI then bloody change it!!

While it would be nice to see tons of features in Windows Phone, they can't boil the ocean. I'm perectly fine with the reminder values that are default. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's the norm. I'm sure MS has used telemetry data from Office to know what are the most common used values. And I'm not saying you are wrong, you just need to take into account other variables to why something is missing. And believe me, WP is not perfect. It has its flaws.

You might be fine with the reminder values that are default but I'm not. I am a presenter and I do presentations for a living. Many of my appointments are 2-4 hours away from my home so most of my appointments need 2-4 hour reminders and I can't do that in Windows Phone. Also, I would say it is not the norm when this is the only platform I have ever used that doesn't allow the user to enter 2-4 hour reminders. How can this calendar be taken serious for business when the default reminder options jump from 1 hour to 18 hours with no in between? This is inexcusable for even the most basic OS let alone one trying to compete for enterprise!

Wow that's pretty lame. Hadn't noticed it because I set most appointments in Outlook on the PC.
For this kind of thing MS really need to open up their APIs. If there was a way to write calendar entries via an API I guarantee there would be a dozen improved Calendar apps in the store within a month.

hey what exactly is a VPN used for? (dont attack me for not knowing) all i know is it stands for virtual private network, and i assume it has to do with connecting securely with people, but i dont know exactly.

A lot of companies have a private network that cannot be accessed from outside the building. This includes network folders and such where files are stored.. or licenses for software (wont really be the case with phones but company apps could be used and need a license server maybe? depends...)

With VPN, you are able to connect to that network and act as if you are in the building and plugged into the wall. You will have access to the network share drives and such.

just to add on the example, if you have internal webpage that can not be accessed outside of the company network, VPN makes your PC/Phone seem like it's on the local network so you can access those webpages (heck you can even print to the network printers)

Yes, many business feel they need VPN access on a phone to be able to access Intranets and feel they are in control of security of the device.
Microsoft even pushes this in the Enterprise with DirectAccess.
It is something companies will expect when evaluating a product, even if they don't actually use it daily.

if you have a business and you have to choose between 3 platforms(rim is no longer viable or needed) then choosing windows is a no brainer. as an account manager avoiding itunes and android setup is a huige time saver when dealing with a large number of phones. also as account mananger you decide what phones the company goes with not the morons who work for you. it took me more then a week to get android phone setup across 60 employees due to the number of things needed to keep the employee trained in its use.. windows took less then 3 days as all i needed was windows live sign in.

Totally agree. Windows phones are one of the easiest to deploy. I hated deploying blackberries years ago. I eventually got rid of them. Though I used windows mobile5-6.5, I did not deploy those to my end users. We went apple and the setup and deployment of those were almost as bad as the blackberry. They have come a long way, but you still have to sign your life to them before you use the dog gone phone. Android was somewhat easier to setup and deploy, but a lot of tines too confusing for the masses.

I thing windows phone is one of the easiest now and has a lot of potential in the business and consumer market. The public is really starting to recognize the phones. Just have to continue to market and show people that not only is there another way, but it may be better... Try it rather than follow the crowd of people who never really tried it, casted off judgment.

work on the helpdesk for a day and you'll be calling the employees morons too. Its incredible the level of questions you get.
these websites make us forget how little the average person knows or cares about smartphones.

I used to work in the a call center back when i was in college for a large international corp... Monday morning the most common IT call was "i forgot my password...." and later on you get stuff like "i got this virus.." and, since we supported BB "how do i setup my email on this phone?"..... you get some legit and some "how do i make things bold in word?".... and these people all had college degrees... hehe.. so i can see where he is coming from there.

wishful thinking i know... but perhaps Nokia knows what updates and bug fixes windows is pushing and when... and is assuring these enterprise users that their features, like VPN, bluetooth fixes, etc are all coming to WP8 by the time they deploy? I'll keep telling myself that so i feel like things are being worked on :)

I agree with you on the calendar but there are other apps that are free even that make excellent reminders. One that is really simple and can be used for many other things is called clearer. I use it every day for work. But there are a few others that are nice. Now these are not calendars but it has an excellent reminding system.

what would really be cool is if microsoft or nokia had a website that periodically updated to let the public know what they were working on at that moment for future updates. that would ease alot of people's worries about wp8. i know they are dont have to do this, but it would be nice.

I work for Ford and we would love it here but as it is they have the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scheme going on here since many use iPhones, Androids and Blackberrys! We still have the Enterprise Phones if you want to use them just most rather bring their own device and load the services on them! I would like to see the Nokia phones brought in but want it where you can switch from Home to work and make them completely seperate otherwise I see it as having to have two phones to lug around one for work and one for home... Not sure how everyone does their buisness but some of us do not have to be contacted outside of work...

As a business traveller, I need a phone which last at least a day with moderate-heavy use....sorry but my Lumia 920 battery just drains too quickly to be business useful...I'll keep my BB for now....for phone calls and mail/sms the battery runs forever (in Bb) and isn't that what most people use a Mobile for in Business?
Sorry, I love my L920 but that's a reality at the moment.

WP*/Lumia 920 is not even remotely close to entering the business world. I unfotunately made the decison to upgrade to the Lumia 920 instead of the S3/BB 990/iPhone 4S and regret it everyday. I now just use it for phone calls 9which sound liek crap) since my number is tied to it and do everything else on my iPhone 5.

I moved our entire company to the new Lumia 920 just before Christmas and they couldn't be happier. What an upgrade over android and the instability is has. WP8 also offers many core OS features that make it uniquely suited for business. The biggest of these is the people hub.

This really needs to be rephrased. Avanade is partly owned by Microsoft (although the majority is by Accenture) so this is basically Microsoft signing an agreement with an existing hardware partner to try to make press over its struggling phone OS.
Do some research sheeple :)